October 03, 2013

Former world number three, David
Nalbandian, has announced his retirement from the game after enjoying a
successful 13-year career.

The 31-year-old Argentinian won 11 titles
and reached the 2002 Wimbledon final, when he was beaten by Lleyton Hewitt, as
well as reaching four other Grand Slam semi-finals.

Nalbandian went through to the last four of the French Open in 2004 and 2006 as well as reaching the US Open
semi-final in 2003 and the same stage of the Australian Open three years later.

A well-known player among tennis fans on
betfair.com, he reached number three in the world in March 2006 and finished in
the year-end top ten of the ATP rankings on five occasions.

However, he has been troubled by a shoulder
injury recently and said, when confirming his decision to quit the game:
"I can play matches, but my shoulder won't let me continue my career. I
can't play like that at a professional level.”

"It's tough because I have to announce
my retirement from the sport that gave me so much. I'm very grateful."

Nalbandian represented Argentina in three
Davis Cup teams that reached the final - in 2004, 2008, 2011 - and he has fond
memories of those achievements, adding: "It's the event that I felt was
different from the others.

“The pressure and the support of the
people, it's something unique. It's a shame Argentina couldn't win it, but
that's the way it was."

Nalbandian reached his last final at the
2013 Brasil Open in Sao Paulo, when the perennial favourite on betfair,
Rafael Nadal, beat him. However, after helping his country beat France in the quarterfinals of the Davis
Cup earlier this year, he was forced to undergo an operation on his right
shoulder.

Nalbandian has announced that he will play
a series of farewell exhibition matches against Nadal, which are scheduled to
start on the 21st of November.

After deciding to end his season early in
order to undergo an operation on his long-running back injury, Andy Murray will
begin 2014 free from injury and ready to build on another huge year.

The Scotsman underwent minor surgery on the
injury in order to avoid aggravating the problem further, ruling him out of the
season-ending ATP Tour Finals in London next month.

The back issue that Murray has struggled with
is an injury that has plagued the 26-year old for a few years in varying
degrees, but flared up badly in May and ruled him out of the French Open.

The problem did not stop Murray from finally
winning Wimbledon the following month, but played a role in preventing the 2012
US Open champion from defending his title this year.

But while he played a key role in Great
Britain qualifying for the elite World Group of the Davis Cup with a crucial
victory in Croatia, it was evident Murray was struggling with the problem and
the decision was taken to end his year early and attempt to solve the injury
once and for all.

With his season now ended, Murray will be
targeting a return to action in good time to get himself back fully fit ahead
of the Australian Open in January, in a tournament that will have the
three-time losing finalist right up there among the favourites in the tennis betting.

After the opening Grand Slam of the season,
Murray will likely line-up for Leon Smith’s GB team for their Davis Cup clash
against the United States.

It mustn’t be underestimated how much of a
role this back injury has had on the two-time Grand Slam winner this season and
those who bet on tennis will know a fully fit Murray could well be next year’s dominant force in
the game.